Our Seder Plate
Our family's Seder migrated to our apartment this year, after countless years at my in-laws' home. The important thing about the Seder, of course, is the opportunity for a family to gather together from disparate places to catch up on the year's events and to celebrate its family-ness. Then there is the recounting of the stirring story of the Jews exodus from Egypt, which links us to our ancestors through a thousands-of-years-old tradition. Finally, there is the meal, which generally involves multi-generational cooperation and preparation and consumption of enormous quantities of family favorites. Our Seder was no exception.
Here's the menu, all presented at tables magnificently set and flowered by my wife Joan:
2012 Passover Menu
Hors d'Oeuvres
Charred eggplant (Ottolenghi, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook)
- Tapenade (Jacques Pépin, Essential Pépin)
- Matzo Flour Gougères (Clotilde, Chocolate & Zucchini, Essential Pépin)
- Artichoke hearts in oil and lemon (Poopa Dweck, Aromas of Aleppo)
Dinner
- Naomi’s chunky charoses
- Heidi’s spectacular matzo ball soup
- Gefilte fish with smoked whitefish (Bon Appétit, April 2002)
- Chicken tagine with two lemons (Elizabeth Bard, Lunch in Paris)
- Quinoa with pomegranate seeds (oops, forgot them), almonds and parsley (yes, it's kosher for passover, neither a grain nor a legume)
- Ina’s incomparable brisket
Desserts
- Ina’s plum sponge cake (from an ancient New York Times recipe)
- Vicki’s delicious assorted cookies and bars
- Winter fruit compote with cognac and crème fraîche (Laura Calder)
A good time was had by all, and I look forward to an even better Seder in 2013.
Bobby Jay
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